CROSSVILLE-The date has been set for the always-popular City of Crossville Airport Open House & Fly-In, city officials announced last week. The annual event is held at Crossville Memorial Airport, Whitson Field.

“This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, October 1, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.”, said city marketing director Billy Loggins, “and will feature a wide range of events including a World War II B-25 Bomber on static display and the opportunity to ride in vintage airplanes.”

“Bring your lawn chairs and umbrellas, and plan to spend the day,” said Chris Bennett, Crossville Fixed Base Operator. “There will be food and drink for sale and we will have inflatables for the smaller kids.”

Those in attendance can register for that once-in-a-lifetime experience of riding in vintage airplanes. You can register for three free rides: One in an open cockpit 1930 Stearman, one in a P-51 Mustang and and one in a helicopter. There is no fee to register.

The airport, which dates back to 1931, celebrated its “official” 75th anniversary in 2009. It has a rich history, and has served as the training ground for many a student pilot.

Crossville Memorial Airport has been honored by the state of Tennessee for its commitment to quality, and continually strives to keep facilities up to date.

“This is always a well-attended event and we expect another big crowd for this year’s Fly-In. We hope everyone will mark their calendars now to be with us again on October,” Loggins said.

“On October 1, 2010 we broke ground on our 16 new T-Hangars. We also installed a new 12,000 gallon, above-ground AV-gas fuel farm. The system has self-fueling capabilities for pilots,” Bennett said. “The airport also received a grant to move forward with the repaving of the runway, taxi ways and ramp, the underground fuel farm removal, and repair of the terminal building roof.”